We spoke with Essential Dynamics Sales Manager, Stevie Green regarding their new personal 3D printer, the Imagine 3D Printer. As we reported earlier, this printer is unique among ready-to-go assembled personal 3D printers as it uses syringes instead of the more common hot plastic extruders. This means it is capable of printing room-temperature gooey substances, including food!

Fabbaloo: Is the device actually available for purchase today?

Stevie Green: Yes. We have not gone all out, in marketing our product, only because we've had a large pre-order list that we are working through, right now. Thus, any overt marketing only tests our production limits. We are working around the clock to fix both these situations.

Fabbaloo: What examples of food printing have you managed to do with it?

Stevie Green: We have used all meats (chicken, fish, turkey, beef, pork) that have been brought to a soluble state in a blender and then printed into customized shapes. Some of the more extravagant ones have been star shaped sushi's. Until Imagine, sushi only came in two shapes, oblong and circular. We have completely redefined these shape. From now on, sushi will no longer come in only 2 shapes. It will come in any shape you desire.

Since Imagine is a dual syringe system this opens up the opportunity to do fusion foods like never before. You can make salmon shots infused with red wine. This is the ultimate health food. All your omegas, vitamins, and resveratrol, all rolled up into one awesome shot!! New and healthy combinations, new fusions, unusual shapes, it is going to be an explosion of creativity.

Our community website, Mongasso.com, (currently in Beta) is going to be the new center for this creative designing. Here you can engage in creating your own designs, sharing designs, collaborating with others in designing, getting others to design for you. It is the home for all forms of expressions of creativity. By creating a free account on Mongasso, users will have access to the whole world and the talents of people from around the world.

Fabbaloo: What software is used to prepare food models? Is it the same approach as used for plastic 3D printing, or are there other considerations and software?

Stevie Green: Food models are prepped in the same manner as any other cad file. We use Google Sketchup.

Fabbaloo: How do you handle the foodsafe aspects?

Stevie Green: There are actually only two points on the machine that come in contact with food: The syringes and the build tray. We use a food safe build tray and the syringes, we currently discard after usage. We will be providing washable glass syringes shortly.

Fabbaloo: What are your plans for the future?

Stevie Green: Our future consists of many phases but primarily to get people acclimated to the technology. We want to open up their minds as to the possibilities. What excites us the most, is what creative things people will make with Imagine. Once you can Imagine, you can redefine your world.

For more information, check out the USD$2,995 Imagine 3D Printer at their site below.

Kerry Stevenson, aka "General Fabb" has been writing Fabbaloo posts since he launched the venture in 2007, with an intention to promote and grow the incredible technology of 3D printing across the world. So far, it seems to be working!

Fabbaloo is a daily online publication focusing on the 3D print and additive manufacturing industries. We provide deeper analysis of developments in current and future technologies as well as corporate matters. If there’s something happening in 3D technologies, especially FDM, SLA, SLS and Stereolithography, we’ll have an opinion about it.